2024 Weekly Rides Register
Whether you want to ride a course again or gaze in wonder at what you achieved (or missed out on), we thought it might be nice to build up a simple diary of our Sunday rides.
Alongside a screenshot of the longer route and its corresponding elevation profile, you will find a couple of headlines and a picture which tries to capture the essence of that particular ride. Click on the buttons and you can go to the full gps details for both longer and shorter options.
September 8th: Ludlow out to Knighton
2 nice circulars routes out to the rather wonderful Offa’s Dyke Centre in Knighton. Everything you could ever wish to know about an amazing structure and the history which surrounds it.
Offa’s Dyke is a linear earthwork which roughly follows the Welsh/English boundary and as originally constructed was about 27 metres wide and 8 metres from the ditch bottom to the bank top.
A great place to stop for coffee and cakes with always lovely volunteer staff, but you will need to use the toilets in one of the town car parks.
September 1st: Ludlow out to Bromyard
If it's a decent day with an easterly forecast then consider heading south east to Bromyard.
Bromyard is an ancient market town in the valley of the River Frome close to the county border with Worcestershire with a bunch of history and a number of attractive half-timbered buildings.
Emma’s Farmhouse Café on the Square now open for just over a year provides a particularly nice place to stop off for coffee and cakes.
August 25th: Ludlow out to Bredwardine
These routes take us South through Yarpole to the wonderful walled garden cafe at Brobury House, a charming turreted Victorian building on the banks of the River Wye.
None of the climbs are too awful but unusually slightly more of the climbing is on the way back. The route home passes close to Kinnersley Castle one of the many Marches castles sited by the Normans along the Welsh border, now largely remodelled as an Elizabethan manor house.
Café stop: The Walled Garden Café, Brobury House:
https://broburyhouse.co.uk/garden-cafe
August 18th: Ludlow out to Churchstoke
Two beautiful fast routes, perfect for a fine day with good roads nearly all the way and a bit less climbing than usual.
The 60 mile Longer route takes you up the classic Clun valley and Anchor climb (most of mileage is before the café so you may need pocket food), whilst the 50 mile Shorter route includes that wonderful quiet B road along the Camlad valley between Bishops Castle and Pentreheyling.
The café stop is the lovely garden at Kerry Vale Vineyard, Pentreheyling.
August 11th: Ludlow out to the Wellington Garden Centre
Two good rides to choose when you have a nice southerly wind to blow you back home. These rides take you south to the ever-popular Wellington Garden Centre.
The longer route is a relatively long one and takes in both The Goggin and the Herefordshire Golf Club climbs on the way out to the garden centre. It's all relatively nice and flat thereafter.
August 4th: Welsh away day from Bucknell
A summer treat of a classic full-bodied Welsh vintage, with Cambrian & Highland Challenge flavours. The core route is plenty long, hilly and scenic, but the longer option takes in the great Bettws-y-Crwyn ridge betwixt Teme and Clun. BUT be warned, the lanes up to the ridge are steep and rough, and the 25% descent from it to Felindre would terrify some.
The Llanbadarn Fynydd Community Shop/café provides a good place to rest your legs on route. Double check where you park in Bucknell and avoid the parking slots in front of the industrial estate just south of the level crossing.
July 28th: Ludlow out to Eardisley
After a couple of weeks of new routes out East this route takes us back to familiar territory down south and a bit west.
There is not really that much elevation overall but as usual you get to do most of the climbing before the cafe with a nice gentle run home.
If it is a sunny day then the New Strand’s garden in Eardisley provides an ideal spot to sit outside and recuperate from those early climbs.
July 21st: Ludlow out to Upper Arley
Another ride out east but this time a bit further up.
Just one longish hilly route out to upper Arley this week for everyone to enjoy.
There is nice small cafe down by the river or the Arley Arboretum Tearoom is also nice.
July 14th: Ludlow out to Clifton Upon Teme
This is a rare excursion down to the South East. Both routes go down and back through Tenbury Wells following the River Teme on it path down to Worcester as far as Clifton Upon Teme.
Two big old climbs on the long route with a nice new cafe stop at the Apple Tree Kitchen at Clifton Upon Teme
July 7th: Ludlow out to Penrhos
Last time we went to the Cattle Shed at Penrhos we huddled and dried in front of the roaring fire.
So this Sunday let’s pretend it’s summer and even possibly sit outside.
Café stop: Cattle Shed, Penrhos
June 30th: Ludlow out to Bishops Castle and Clun
Over 2 months since we visited the new-look Clun Postcard café, so out to the Unk badlands vía Bishops Castle and back with the wind. Two big old climbs on the long route, just the one for the shorter but otherwise nice and flat.
The River Unk is a small river which rises close to the site of the Bronze Age Lower Short Ditch on the Shropshire Powys border and runs for 10 miles down into the River Clun. The river is one of the few remaining sites in the United Kingdom where freshwater pearl mussels are found.
June 23rd: Leominster out to Hay on Wye
For midsummer we’re off to Hay - their Drover Cycles kiosk for a café stop.
Out via Weobley, with the Longer route crossing the Wye at Bridge Sollers and the Shorter route at Bredwardine, before the lumpy B road into Hay over Pen y Park.
A classic return via the wooden Clifford toll bridge, Eardisley and Eardisland.
June 16th: Ludlow out to Kington
With sunshine and a westerly wind this is a particularly pretty route out to Kington.
The cafe stop is the wonderful Owl Sanctuary at the Small Breeds Farm Park just south of Kington. A very unique and friendly cafe with outdoor tables.
The shorter route is quite hilly whereas the longer route is just hilly.
June 9th: The Danny Mason Challenge
For over 30 years, hundreds of riders from across the country descend on Ludlow Castle to tackle an iconic ride through (and sometimes a little beyond) the beautiful Shropshire Hills National Landscape. Founded and organised by Danny Mason for 25 years, the Highland Challenge is now organised by volunteers from Ludlow Cycling Club, and registered with Cycling UK.
Approximately 65 hilly miles and 1,500metres (5,000) feet of climbing with a new route each year the Challenge isn’t a race – no tags, timings or numbers. We normally attract both young fast club riders and older once-a-year tourers – and everything in between!
June 2nd: Ludlow out to Pentreheyling
About time we went up North East to the rather lovely Kerry Vale vineyard café again.
A relatively simple route out for the Short route, with a Montgomery extension for the Longer route. Both routes are relatively flat and fast.
Cafe stop is the Kerry Vale vineyard in Pentreheyling
May 26th: Rarest of the rare
A no ride Sunday
A horribly wet and windy day in Ludlow
Not safe to ride in a group
May 19th: Ludlow out to Church Stretton
An exploration of Wenlock Edge.
The Shorter route enjoys the better B4371 surface to get to Stretton from Longville-in-the-Dale, whilst the Longer hillier route meanders pleasantly to Stretton via Acton Burnell.
The Café stop is the Holly Bush Cafe in Church Stretton
May 12th: Tenbury out to Bishops Frome
Depart from Tenbury Swimming Pool a rare trip south-east from Tenbury Wells, going out a fairly standard route to Bodenham, then exploring roads east to Bishops Frome, lying on the same Lugg tributary as Bromyard.
Longer route back goes a bit further east before a lumpy ride to Bromyard to rejoin the Shorter route back.
The Café stop is the Hop Pocket Shopping Village café a typical shopping village café
May 5th: Ludlow out to Pembridge
A route south via Leysters down the east of the A49, with the Shorter route route crossing it just south of Leominster and the Longer route after Bodenham.
Both routes come together at Weobley before the short gravel drive to the outdoor café of the unique Water Gardens. Back through Eardisland.
Cafe Stop is Westonbury Water Gardens, Pembridge
Easter Sunday: Ludlow out to Witley Court
You approach the Witley Court tea room through the grounds of, and past, the burnt out remains of the spectacular Witley Court palace. Great Witley church, open and next to the Tea Rooms, houses an incredible 1735 Italian Baroque interior taken out of a Middlesex stately home.
You can’t get to Witley Court without some climbing. Even the Shorter route going out mainly on A roads, ideally before they get too busy, has nearly 1,000 metres of ascent. The longer route out explores lanes through Milson, Neen Sollars and Mamble before the café. The ride back along the Teme valley, shared by both routes, is delightful, especially in spring, even with its ups, downs and puddles.
Mar 24: Ludlow out to Wenlock Edge
A good ride to do when you have a brisk WNW wind to blow you home back over Wenlock Edge after a stop at the friendly if small Hollybush café in Church Stretton.
To get there, you’ll ride up the Corvedale, and cross the Edge and Stretton hills before the old Watling Street takes you into Stretton via a tricky A49 crossing.
Quite a lumpy ride particularly on the longer route but lots of wonderfully changing views of the hills as you wind along the beautiful country lanes up around Church Stretton.
Mar 17: Ludlow out to Shobdon Airfield
An anti-clockwise circular from Ludlow out west, especially good if there is a south-westerly to blow you home. Mainly decent roads, although the back lane from Ludlow
Racecourse to Onibury has standing water after heavy rain. The Shorter route is relatively flat for these parts whilst the Longer route tackles Shelderton Hill, a long (but picturesque) slow climb then a frighteningly fast descent.
At the café stop at the inimitable Meg’s on Shobdon Airfield, cyclists will be be outnumbered by motorcyclists, plane spotters and amateur pilots. Great atmosphere although the fayre is fairly basic. Café stop: Meg’s café at Shobdon Airfield
Mar 10: Ludlow out to Wyre Forest
If you ride in these parts, then once in a while you need to tackle Titterstone Clee Hill, the crouching lion of a hill that overlooks Ludlow and is named on the mediaeval Mappa Mundi world map. To the direct east of Clee Hill, the next higher ground are the Ural Mountains!
On the Shorter route, once you’ve climbed Titterstone Clee (mostly avoiding the A456 main road) the rest is not too hilly. The Longer route descends to Bewdley and there then a climb to the café stop. Both routes feature above average amounts of climbing, and are better to do if there an east wind to blow you home. Café stop: the busy Wyre Forest Visitor Centre Café DY14 9XQ
Mar 3: Ludlow out to Wellington
A trip south mostly in Herefordshire, out on the east of the A49, back on the west. You cross the River Lugg both going out and coming back.
The lanes out are pleasant cycling in decent weather but are not good, especially on the shorter route, if there are floods, ice or muddy conditions. The longer route includes the long haul up Bockleton Hill before a lovely descent to the A44. The Wellington Garden Centre café is always busy but does great scones!
Coming back, the route has a fair amount of A4110 although less on the longer option because of the climb over Upper Hill and then home via Leominster. Quite fast home if there is a S or SW wind.
Feb 25: Ludlow out to Kinlet
A tough route around the Clees with a sequence of ups and downs, great from Ludlow when there’s an E/NE wind. Mostly good surfaces except for some rough patches after Loughton near the end. The B/A road start, good when risk of early black ice, can be varied. When weather permits, some great views in all directions.
The long route option route has a very lumpy pre-café extension down to Bewdley and then through the Wyre Forest.
The Kabin at Kinlet is a popular unpretentious café stop for passing traffic and bikers. https://kabininkinlet.co.uk/
Feb 18: Kingsland out to Penyybont
To reach the unique period piece Thomas Shop/Cafe/Museum https://www.thomas-shop.co.uk on the River Ithon in Penyybont, near Llandrindod Wells, this route starts from Kingsland’s Coronation Hall, about 10 miles south-west of Ludlow.
Radnorshire’s mountainous landscape means that A roads there and back are the only viable cycling options. They are not the busiest and the views over wild landscapes are stunning in good weather; surfaces are relatively good and surface water less prevalent if conditions are wet. A decent pace can be maintained with gradients gradual, although there is a fair amount of climbing overall.
If there has been recent heavy rain, you can avoid the wet lane between Kingsland and Shobdon by starting and finishing in Shobdon, about 5km in.
Feb 11th - Ludlow out to Penrhos
Out west near Kington to Penrhos Court, a fine mediaeval house where Queen practised Bohemian Rhapsody in the 1970s, Monty Python’s Terry Jones ran a microbrewery and Mike Oldfield played music! Its huge converted Cattle Shed serves fine coffee and cakes, with a roaring fire in winter https://www.penrhos-court.co.uk/.
The routes feature many country lanes, with their potholes, surface gravel etc - though not Herefordshires worst - so it’s not a fast day out. The long hillier route includes ascents of both High Vinnalls and Wigmore Rolls, worth having decent weather for, whilst the short more direct, routes only significant climbs are the hill up to Penrhos and one shortly after the café.